Avery Brewing - Mephistopheles Stout

So today I was reflecting on life, liberty, and the pursuit of delicious beer.  I realized that when I go beer shopping, I tend to be drawn to new breweries and beers that I've never seen or heard of before.  It's driven mainly by curiosity, and most of the time it's good, considering Steve and I write about a new beer every day - it's our duty to stay on the front line of new-brews.  But as a result, I often overlook some of the more commonly available beers, for no good reason other than the fact that I see them all the time and they've become familiar.  It's completely ass backwards, right?  Anyway, this Mephistopheles Stout is one such beer that I've seen on the shelves for 2 years now, and for one reason or another, became familiar with it without ever actually trying it.  The $9/12oz price tag might have had something to do with it too ; ).

There is some interesting history behind this beer's name.  Mephistopheles is a demon found in German folklore.  As the story goes, Faust, a well-known and successful scholar in the 1600's, sells his soul to Mephistopheles for worldly knowledge and power.  As you can probably guess, things don't end well for Faust.  The name seems appropriate, considering the stats on this brew; 15.95% alcohol by volume (more than most wines) and 107 IBUs (more than most IPAs).  This beer is brewed once per year, and bottled on December 1st.  It's the 3rd installment of their "The Demons of Ale" series, which also includes Samael's Oak-Aged Ale and The Beast Grand Cru Ale.

The label includes some amazing art - this image of Mephistopheles is really creepy and awesome.  

Bottled in December 2010, Batch 6.  Glad to hear this has 1 year of age behind it, hopefully that will help soften up the 15% alcohol.  The color of this stout is the blackest black, with a thick 2 inch layer of dark tan foam that doesn't recede.  Ever.  Aroma is hefty, with rich milk chocolate malt-balls, molasses, candied dark fruits, and plenty of boozy vanilla.  Generally this beer smells very sweet, quite a bit less....ominous....than I expected.  After my first sip, I was in a state of beer shock.  Literally sat back with my eyes wide, mumbling "wow" under my breath.  Incredibly rich, with heavy chocolate malt sweetness assaulting the palate up front.  If that was an assault, then what comes next is the Big Bang.  An intense multi-layered middle, with a combination of cocoa, sprinkled on raisins, drenched in woody, vanilla-laced alcohol, with a hint of brown sugar on top of the whole thing.  The finish leaves a thick layer of Espresso on every nook and cranny of my mouth.  Mouthfeel is thick and syrupy, with minimal carbonation that fits perfectly.

Overall Rating:  This Imperial Stout is extreme in every sense of the word.  Chocolate heaven.  A session beer, this is not.....the heavy alcohol definitely heats things up, but never overwhelms the other flavors.  This would make a great showcase/dessert beer for a family dinner or holiday get-together.  I plan on buying 3 or 4 bottles for the cellar, this beer is worth every penny.  A+

Brooklyn Brewery - Black Chocolate Stout

Today my friend sent me one of those 'funny-mass-email-forwards' with a beer prayer that I thought I'd share with everyone;

Our lager, which art in barrels,

hallowed by thy drink.

Thy will be drunk,

At home, as I am in the tavern.

Give us this day our foamy head, 

and forgive our spillage, 

as we forgive those who spill against us.

And lead us not to incarceration,

but deliver us from hangovers.

For thine is the ale, the pilsner, and the lager,

forever and ever.

-AMEN-

Tonight I'm drinking Black Chocolate Stout from Brooklyn Brewery in Utica, NY.  This is a seasonal Imperial Stout, available from October through March, and it's a monster with 10% alcohol by volume.  For all you foodies out there, Brooklyn recommends strong cheese (especially Stilton) to be paired with this beer.

Limited Bottling - '11-12.  The beer is ink-jet black with a dark tan layer of hearty foam, leaves lots of sticky lacing behind.  The aroma is intense - roasted barley, milk chocolate, faint light coffee and cocoa, and alcohol fumes.  The flavor starts off with a wave of slightly bitter dark chocolate, bittersweet, until the second wave of barley roastyness.  Some smokiness and faint, woody vanilla hang out in the background.  Booze is pronounced, but not overwhelming.  The carbonation is on the heavier side, for the style, but it works well.

Overall Rating:  This is a big, bad, beautiful stout that takes everything about the style to the maximum.  It tastes great in its current state of freshness, and I'm sure it will taste even better in a year or two.  Thick, rich, and warming - definitely a beer for the winter months.  Give this one a try!  A-

Epic Brewing - Imperial Stout

Tonight I'll be drinking a bottle of Imperial Stout from Epic Brewing in Salt Lake City, UT.  This is part of their Exponential Series - back in September I enjoyed the Imperial IPA, an Exponential sibling to this big stout.  Epic Brewing has a cool way of tracking their brews - they actually reference each individual batch of beer and explain the subtle changes they make to the grain bill, and the effects on the beer.  It's an interesting way to track the life of a beer, from the first batch all the way to the currently available batch - other breweries should take note!

The label on the bottle states this beer is from Batch# 3, brewed on January 27, 2011.  For this batch, they threw a decent amount of Cascade hops, and raised the bar to 9.1% alcohol.  The color is deep black, with two full inches of dark tan, creamy foam.  Great looking beer, lots of lace left behind.  The aroma is loaded with roastiness.  Seriously, loads of roasted malts paired with semi-sweet dark chocolate and coffee beans.  There is also a bitter twang in the nose, seems to be a combination of hops and alcohol.  The flavor starts off extremely rich, with sweet molasses, dark chocolate, and a burnt, sugary caramel.  Not much coffee is present here, but there is plenty of charcoal...burnt, earthy, woody flavors.  Bitterness breaks through in the middle, certainly some Cascade in there.  The mouthfeel is incredibly rich and gritty - each sip is a mouth full.

Overall Rating:  This is a solid Imperial Stout.  I'll be honest, I just came back from Surly Darkness Day, where I drank multiple pints of their Darkness RIS.  That is a tough beer to follow, and while Epic has a nice stout here, it doesn't even compare to Darkness.  I know that's not really fair to Epic, but hey, that's what beer reviewing is all about!  B

Southern Tier Brewing - Creme Brulee Imperial Milk Stout

Tonight I'm going to break out a big 22oz bottle of creme brulee Imperial Milk Stout from Southern Tier Brewing in Lakewood, New York.  Southern Tier is a fantastic brewery....so far Steve and I have had their Cuvee Series Two and my personal favorite, the Gemini Imperial IPA.  This is a summer seasonal brew available beginning in June that boasts 9.6% alcohol.  It's a part of their Blackwater Series of Imperial Stouts, which includes other well-known numbers like Choklat and Mokah.


This brew is going into my snifter, color is deep dark brownish black with a minimal amount of tan head after a vigorous pour.  Looks like a nice stout.  The aroma is like a walk through a coffee shop adjoined with a candy store....very sweet with coffee, cream, and vanilla extract.  Milk, sugar, sweet sweet sweet, even a little caramel candy in there.  If this were a blind smell test, I wouldn't know for sure if it was even a beer, it smells more like a dessert.   Does the taste follow the nose?  YES.  Creamy, sugary, gritty coffee.  Starts off as a vanilla latte, then it morphs into a mutant coffee stout with extra sugar.  Marshmallows come in and linger for a bit, along with some burnt chocolate malts.  Vanilla is definitely prevalent throughout.  The alcohol is a welcome but fleeting distraction, adding just a hint of warmth to the drink.


Overall Rating:  This was a dessert in a bottle - true to the brew's name.  It was simply too overwhelmingly sweet for me.  Too much heavy, sugary sweetness and not enough other stuff to keep it grounded in reality.  If you like a sweet beer, then you'll enjoy this, but it wasn't for me.  D

Dark Horse Brewing - Plead the 5th Imperial Stout

Tonight's brew comes to us from Dark Horse Brewing in Marshall, MI.  Plead the 5th Imperial Stout is the fifth in a series of 5 beers in their Holiday Stout Series.  This series is designed to "help ease you through the cold and grey midwestern winters."  Thank you Dark Horse, in MN we need help from decent brewing folks like you to make it through our winters.  Unfortunately, it's now late July and over the last week it's been 95-100 degrees with 80-90% humidity....absolutely steamy, not the environment this brew was intended for.  We can't ever catch a break here...it's either cold and snowing or hot and humid.  But I digress!

The ABV isn't listed on the bottle, but the google-brain says this is ~12% alcohol.  It's going into my snifter - a motor-oil black color, no light gets through this one.  Leaves a full inch of dark tan head, some of the darkest foam I've ever seen on a stout.  Beautiful looking brew.  The aroma is big on alcohol, cocoa syrup, dark-roast coffee beans, a touch of candied dark fruits come through.  It looks and smells rich, and the flavor does not disappoint!  Big, rich, thick chocolate malts start off, with plenty of sweet dark chocolate mixed in with roasted malts.  Coffee isn't much of a player, instead there is more hot alcohol presence, along with a big chewy mouthful of sweet candied plums.  I'm also noticing tobacco and charred oak.  A touch of vanilla also comes through in brief spurts.  Full, thick, chewy body complimented by an appropriately low level of carbonation.

Overall Rating:  This turned out to be a much bigger, chewier, more complex brew than I expected.  I really enjoyed it from start to finish - a truly great RIS that would be a phenomenal sipper in front of a winter fire.  Dark Horse continues to impress with their creative and complex brews - they are quickly moving up my ladder, approaching fanboy status...  It's out of season, but if you can find this brew, jump on it!!  A

Lagunitas - Imperial Stout

Tonight I'm drinking the Unlimited Release Lagunitas Imperial Stout.  This beer is brewed by Lagunitas in Petaluma, CA.  According to the label, it's 'Doggone Good!', with 72 IBUs and 9.9%ABV.  There is also a little story on the label that I'll quote below:


"Having downed his forth Imperial Stout of theay, the wild eyed charlatan from Voldvostogniaky belched and hollered for the Czarina to enter his chamber and bend herself to his will. The economy was a wreck and revolt was just around the corner. Nicky the Czar dude was off playing soldier like any pale nobleman wioth a hemorrphagic skin condition would. Such were the final days of the old empire. Reactionary, decadent, sputnik, stroganoff, wierd, and drunk. But even as the proletariat countryside labored under inhuman conditions and a threat of being sent to futile war in the east, they wisely took the time to slam back an Imperial Stout or two. After all, life can be a real "suka", as they say in the old country. Big, black, bourgeois, bolshoy, belligerent, buxom, and scary - this is our version of the chaotic end of an era in a bottle."


The beer looks black....against the light, it's definitely black and doesn't let any of those protons through.  My pour leaves a thick layer of tan head with nice retention.  The aroma is full of plums, raisins, and alcohol.  It almost reminds me of a port wine.  Also a faint scent of vanilla in there.  


The taste starts off strange.  Then, it progresses to odd.  The finish brings a heavy dose of weird.  Honestly, even after 5 sips I still can't figure out what's going on with this beer.  I guess the first two things that come to mind are vanilla and candied plums.  Then comes a fairly hot dose of alcohol.  I'm not catching any of the roasty, coffee, chocolate malts that I expect and love in a big stout.  Instead, there is an overwhelming, and off-putting, bitter-sour alcohol.  The mouthfeel is pretty light and the carbonation is too high. 


Overall Rating:  I hate to bash Lagunitas, I'm a fan of many of their brews.  But this beer definitely falls at the bottom of the barrel - very disappointing.  I haven't sacrificed to the drain gods for a long long time, but that is exactly where this is going.  The fact that I feel zero remorse for this blasphemy just confirms it was the right thing to do.  

Central Waters - Satin Solstice Imperial Stout

Today I'm going to crack open this bottle of Satin Solstice Imperial Stout from Central Waters Brewing in Amherst, Wisconsin.  This brewery has produced some great brews, and Steve and I have just grazed the surface of their line-up.  Most recently Steve tasted their Mudpuppy Porter, which sounded pretty tasty.

The label is yellow, bland, and boring.  Very little information is available on this brew - a short description on their website is about it.  According to BeerAdvocate, the brew is 7.5%ABV.  Bottled on date is end of January 2011.

The beer is a dark brown, almost black, that does let a tiny bit of light through, and builds about half an inch of tan head.  The aroma is mellow, with roasty chocolate notes and sweet malts, and some dark fruits in the background.  The taste starts with grainy chocolate malts, really gritty.  Then those flavors are overshadowed by bitterness (and maybe some alcohol?).  The bitterness hangs around briefly, and then towards the end the chocolate roast flavors come back, along with some bitter coffee and toffee.  Carbonation was a little higher than I'd prefer, giving the beer an odd body that's sticky in the throat, but leaves a 'lighter' impression.  There is also a strange aftertaste in the stickiness that is pretty unpleasant, a sort of rusty-tin-can flavor.

Overall Rating:  This wasn't great - one of my least favorite brews from Central Waters so far.  Not a bad beer by any means......I finished the glass.  But it was really average for an imperial stout, and not something I would actively seek out again.

Big Sky Ivan the Terrible

Big Sky Brewing Company is located out in Missoula, Montana.  This brewery is probably best known for it's creative, strange brew names, like Moose Drool, Scape Goat, Trout Slayer, Slow Elk, etc.  Big Sky was founded back in 1995, and their first batch of beer was a Whistle Pig Red Ale.  A couple months later, they built their first batch of Moose Drool, which is probably their most well-known beer today.  In 2009, they became the 45th largest brewery in the US with 36K barrels brewed. 

I picked up this limited release brew at Lee's shop (Thanks Lee).  This is an Imperial Stout, at 8.75%ABV and 65 IBUs, brewed with Pale, Crystal, Roast, and Black malts, with Simcoe and East Kent Goldings hops.  According to the label, the beer is aged in Oak Bourbon barrels for a minimum of 3 months, and bottle conditioned.  The label also states that this is bottle# 3516 out of 3800 total. 

The label depicts a painting of Ivan the Terrible.  According to Wikipedia, the primary source of all human knowledge, Ivan the Terrible was a prince of Moscow back in the 1500s who conquered lots of land during his reign.  Apparently he was prone to go into mega-rages and was likely suffering from some sort of mental-illness like schizophrenia.  Sounds like a winner and all-around nice guy!

This beer pours a thick, viscous texture and pitch black color into my snifter.  A hefty amount of thick, dark tan head is present.  The aroma is heavy with dark fruits, molasses, and burnt caramel.  There is also a hint of bourbon in the nose.  None of the roasted chocolate malts that you typically find in an Imperial Stout are present in this aroma. 

The first thing I notice in the drink is the syrupy texture and the intense sweetness.  The flavor begins with a wave of sweet vanilla and bourbon.  There are also hints of dark fruits (black cherries and raisins), and some sweet malts in the background.  The dominant character throughout is the sweet vanilla, and the slightly boozy bourbon that plays with it.  The alcohol is present only in the warmth after the drink.  The texture is syruppy and almost oily, with a creamy light carbonation. 

Overall Rating:  (3.5 out of 6.0)  This is a difficult beer for me to review.  For my palate, this beer is simply too sweet, and lacks any balancing factor like alcohol or hop bitterness.  It's certainly not a bad beer, the flavors are complex and I appreciate the nuanced bourbon character that this beer brings.  But I can't get past the assault of sweetness that holds from start to finish.  Where are the bitter roasted malts?!  I think that's all this beer would need to be great.  If you've tried this beer and disagree with me, I'd love to hear from you.  Am I missing something?

North Coast Brewing - Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

Anyone who likes Russian Imperial Stouts will probably know about this beer.  In fact, when I first started drinking beer in college, I told a friend of mine that I liked stouts, and this was the first beer that he recommended.  It's won lots of awards and praise from beer critics around the world.  It's vitals are listed as 9% ABV, 75 IBUs, and Black color (duh).  The label says "Brewed in the tradition of the 18th century English brewers who supplied the Russian Court of Catherine the Great, Old Rasputin develops a cult following wherever it goes.  It's a rich, intense brew with big, complex flavors and a warming finish."  I've had this a couple times in the past, but it's probably been around two years since so I'm looking forward to having it again.

This beer is a black hole.  Pitch black.  There's a couple inches of dark tan head, and the nose is wafting out of the brew.  The moment I began pouring I could smell it, DESPITE my nasty-ass cold that I am still fighting (snot everywhere).  The nose is filled with dark fruits, mainly plum/raisin, along with chocolate/coffee roasted malts.  There is also a vanilla cream scent in there.  I'm drinking this at about 55-60 degrees - I've drank this too cold in the past and learned my lesson.  This beer is better warmer than too cold (too cold = masked flavor). 

The drink is intense.  Extremely rich coffee and chocolate both dominate the show, but there is also some vanilla present in the malt backbone.  It's hard to find anything else.....this is one roasty, toasty brew!  The finish is nice and dry, which really adds to the drinkability, considering this is a heavy-duty RIS.

The texture is thick and full-bodied, with relatively low carbonation.  Despite the thickness, it doesn't fill me up like I would expect.  Scary. 

Overall Rating (5.7 out of 6.0)  For me, this beer is pretty close to a perfect Russian Imperial Stout.  It's not 'innovative' or a 'creative take' on the style, it's just a really really good stout.  If you haven't tried it yet, I encourage you to go fork up the $ (can't remember how much, but it's expensive) and give it a try.  You won't be disappointed.

Grand Teton - Black Cauldron Imperial Stout

Alrighty... lets do this. My partner in beer reviewing crime just posted a great review of his Boulevard Smokestack Series. Yes, another imperial stout on the same night. Our bad... deal with it. Upcoming nights will prove to be more diversive. And no, thats not a word... but eff Microsoft Word and eff you Webster elitists!! Back to the point... Dunz's beer review is one beer that I have been looking to buy for a while now and from his review I think Ill be picking up a bomber or two to age and see how this beer tastes some time from now.

BUT, thats not why I'm writing. Lets see what this Grand Teton - Black Cauldron Imperial Stout has in store for us.

Grand Teton brewery is the original brewery of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. They have been brewing craft beer for patrons of Yellowstone since 1988. Along with being Wyomings first brew pub their flagship amber beer at the time, "Teton Ale" is what set them on the map. Since then, Grand Teton, formerly known as "Ottos Brewing" has been producing 10,000 barrels of craft beer annually. You can find more information about this brewery in the following link.

http://www.grandtetonbrewing.com/Main.html

Appearance - Pitch black with a deep brown head. After the pour, a foam ring lingers around the edge of your pint reminding you of the alcohol level that comes standard with the imperial stout characteristics that you would expect to assault (own, pwn. dominate?) your palate. Try holding this one up to the light... good luck seeing through it.

Aroma - Bring on the molasses! While not overpowering, a sweet aroma comes forward with a subtle hop aroma bringing up the rear... heh... rear.

Taste - Here is what me thinks... I think this is a very unique, big stout. I love the roastiness that this beer doesn't emphasize. Its there, but its not the primary characteristic. Its a background flavor in this imperial stout. However, with that, the roast thats in this beer helps accentuate the smoke thats prominent. Its not a campfire smoke that you expect from your "smoke" labeled brews... its a nice accent (yet again) to this imperial stout. You have a solid sweetness up front from the residual sugars left behind in the fermentation process which unfortunately doesnt go away in the finish. Plus, you get your standard raisin and fruit notes from your good imperial stouts.

Mouthfeel - Smooth like silk. Enough carbonation to hold up the light body. But with an 8% abv we are looking at a slightly less bold mouthfeel than your typical 10-12% craft imperial stout.

Drinkability - At 8% I wouldnt want to drink to many of these on a Tuesday night. But I wouldnt be opposed to it on a Saturday. At this abv ill have a few but with the sweetness of the beer and the mildly cloying finish I wouldnt be one to drink more than a few in a sitting.

Overall (3.9 out of 6) - Not quite something that I would rush out to buy but definitely worth giving a shot. Comes in a four pack so you are looking at a little more dollar for your beer-buck but I would recommend it. The flavor justifies the boldness of the beer. You will need to enjoy a sweeter stout in order to appreciate this four pack. Its not going to knock you socks off but it will provide a nice deviation with its subtle smoke characteristic and provide for a good, unique imperial stout experience.

Specifications
Original Gravity: 20 Plato (1.080)
Malts: Idaho 2-Row Brewers, CaraMunich, Carafa Special & Beechwood Smoked
International Bittering Units: 43
Hops: American Chinook & Styrian Goldings
Alcohol by Volume: 8.0%

Boulevard Smokestack Series - Dark Truth Stout

My first brew review will be for this fine-looking Boulevard Dark Truth Stout. Boulevard Brewing Company was founded in 1989, and has gained a ton of popularity over the years, particularly in the midwest. Their Unfiltered Wheat brew is their staple brew, one of the top-selling craft beers in the midwest. I've really enjoyed their Single Wide and Double Wide IPAs, and their Amber, so I'm looking forward to trying this beast. Let's dig in.

Statistics:

Bitterness (IBUs) - 60
Original Gravity - 21
Terminal Gravity - 4.7
Alcohol (ABV) - 9.7%

Review:

Appearance - Pours a pitch black, two fingers of tan colored, chunky head. Reduces slowly and leaves medium lacing

Smell - Fruity cherry noticeable right away, roasty chocolate with a little bit of coffee on the back-end

Taste - Roasty maltiness dominates initially, followed by smoke. Nice consistent bitterness start to finish, hints of tobacco at the end. Warmth of alcohol present especially on the back-end.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied for a stout, lighter than I expected for a big stout and quite smooth. Medium/low carbonation

Drinkability - Very smooth and easy-drinking. Dangerously drinkable for an imperial stout.

Overall Rating: Good (3.75 out of 6.00). This stout is smooth and enjoyable, but it lacks some of the bolder characteristics I expect and love in big imperial stouts. That said, it's a brew I could drink and enjoy again.